Friday, May 23, 2014

Honoring Our Nation’s Heroes

By JB Moore, NAMI Military and Veterans Policy and Support
Manager

Memorial Day is a
time to pay tribute to America’s heroes whose lives have been lost in service
to this country.

As we remember and
pause to appreciate and celebrate the sacrifices
of these heroes, it is important to be mindful that not all lives lost in
defense of our country were lost on the battlefield. Sadly, many
lives have been lost to suicide.

Many of these
individuals have suffered wounds of war that are psychological in nature and
not always easily seen. Such “invisible” wounds can be severe and life
threatening. They can also be healed, given the proper care.

Symptoms of
traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) – the signature wounds of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, may
not surface for months or even years; and are often undiagnosed, misdiagnosed
or untreated.

Support the “Jacob
Sexton Military Suicide Prevention Act of 2014 (S. 2300).”
This legislation,
introduced by Senator Joe Donnelly (D - Ind.),
requires the Secretary of Defense to conduct periodic mental health assessments
for members of the Armed Forces, and to determine which members are in need of
mental health care and treatment.

1 comment:

suicide prevention is a matter of teaching those people how to adapt improvise and overcome teaching them to understand that their feeling is only temporary but their self inflicted death penalty is an extreme injustice.